Association Between Surgeon Scorecard Use and Operating Room Costs

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Surgical Management
• Healthcare Operations

Background:

• Surgeons often lack awareness of operating room (OR) supply costs, despite their significant contribution to overall healthcare expenditure.
• Understanding and managing OR costs is crucial for improving healthcare value and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of providing surgeons with individualized cost feedback on surgical supply costs within the operating room.
• To assess the association between cost awareness interventions and changes in surgical supply expenditure.

Main Methods:

• A prospective controlled study (OR SCORE project) was conducted across multiple departments in an urban academic setting.
• Intervention group surgeons received monthly scorecards detailing their surgical supply costs compared to institutional baselines and peers.
• A financial incentive was offered to departments achieving a 5% cost reduction goal.

Main Results:

• The intervention group experienced a 6.54% decrease in median surgical supply costs per case, resulting in savings of $836,147.
• In contrast, the control group saw a 7.42% increase in surgical supply costs.
• Multivariable analysis confirmed a 9.95% reduction in surgical supply costs for the intervention group, with no adverse effects on patient outcomes (readmission, mortality).

Conclusions:

• Individualized cost feedback, coupled with a modest financial incentive, effectively reduces surgical supply costs in the OR.
• This approach enhances surgeon cost awareness without compromising patient safety or outcomes.
• The findings support the implementation of targeted cost-management strategies in surgical settings to improve healthcare value.